Student Services

How To Apply

Steps to Apply to Take a DE Course

Important note: Due to their authorization requirements, HCC is not able to accept Distance Education (fully online courses) students who live in the following states: Arkansas, District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

RETURNING STUDENTSIf you have been absent for two consecutive semesters (Fall and Spring), please complete the AskDE Counseling form to speak with an Advisor about how to get started again at HCC.

STEP 2Submit official transcripts from each of your previous educational institutions to HCC, and request to have TSI information included on your transcript. Please check with the sending institution(s) and request the quickest method for transcript submission: Electronic Delivery (EDI). Unofficial transcripts (faxed, copied, and emailed) are not acceptable. If you have a college transcript from a country outside of the United States, visit The Transfer Office for information on having foreign coursework evaluated.

To confirm receipt of your transcript(s) contact the Office of Student Records at 713.718.8500. Please allow 1-3 weeks for processing.

STEP 3Submit Meningitis documentation. All new students less than 30 years old are required to show proof of receipt of bacterial meningitis vaccination dose or booster within the last five years and at least 10 days to the start of your class. New Meningitis Vaccination Requirement

STEP 4Complete the AskDE Counseling form to confirm that you have completed State required testing and met prerequisites for certain HCC courses. Testing results are used to determine placement in reading, writing, and math courses. Verification of official test scores are required and must be submitted to HCC Office of Admissions and Records.

STEP 5First-time college or transfer students with less than 12 semester credit hours are required to complete Advising & Registration Session. This session will provide general HCC information as well as assist in selecting and registering for classes.

DE students may register for an online session after completing the steps below:

1) Submit Meningtis vaccine documentation if under the age of 22.

2) Have offical high school test scores sent (if no more than 5 years old) or complete the TSI Assessment.

5) Contact a DE Advisor through the AskDE Counseling form to request the registration link for that session. Be sure to include the date you want to attend.

STEP 6Please register for classes online. If after reviewing the above links you still need additional assistance with academic advisement, counseling, or if you encounter error messages during the registration process, please Ask DE Counseling.

Advising & Counseling

Mission and Goals

Mission: Houston Community College Distance Education Student Services is dedicated to providing accessible, timely, and accurate counseling and advising services through the utilization of technological resources. We support all students enrolled in online courses by removing the barriers of location and time.

Goal: Distance Education Student Services provides exemplary comprehensive support programs for online students from admissions through graduation. DE Student Services facilitates effective communication between faculty and students fostering increased opportunities for academic success.

To provide convenient, accurate and consistent counseling and advising

To offer technological resources that meet the needs of today's online learner

To promote student success and retention

To foster faculty and student communication

We hope that you will find the answers to many of your questions on our website by reviewingtheDE Student Handbook‌

Our DE Counselors and Advisors will gladly help you with your DE inquiries on academic and personal issues.

Ask DE Counseling, our online form, is the quickest and best way to receive assistance. We strive to assist you promptly, within one business day. We appreciate your cooperation and patience in requesting assistance.

DE Degree Planning

Distance Education Counselors and Advisors

Counselor

Patricia Jensvold

Full-Time Advisors

William Trevino, Advising Manager

Jeannett Martinez

Jagdeep Chadha

Adia Major

Israel Salazar

Part-Time Advsors

Susan Minchew

Nima Salehi

DE Degree Planning

After reading this page, either select the "View Degree Plans" link to view all available degrees or select the "Career Counseling" link to explore your career options.

Degrees Available through Distance Education: DE does not offer all degree programs available at HCC. However, students can complete the Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) online. DE also offers Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degrees and Certificates with specializations in Real Estate and Accounting. The AA and AS degrees are explained below.

The AA and AS academic core courses are guaranteed to transfer and count toward the course curriculum at all Texas public higher education institutions. After you transfer to a four-year university, you may concentrate in a major area of study during your junior and senior years. Each degree is primarily for students planning to transfer and receive a baccalaureate degree in certain areas.

Associate in Arts:

Communication

Business

Social Sciences

Humanities

Fine Arts

Associate in Science:

Computer Science

Engineering

Health and Natural Sciences

Mathematics

HCC, in conjunction with a number of four-year institutions, has developed specialized transfer plans for specific majors. Students should obtain appropriate transfer plans from a counselor. Contact DE Counseling by completing the Ask DE Counseling form.

DE Career Counseling

How do you want your education to work for you?Are you undecided on a major, considering a change of major, interested in exploring career possibilities? If so, Distance Education Counselors will personally help you move toward a clear career goal.

Please follow these steps to discover what your interests are, explore possible careers based on your interests, and get assistance selecting an appropriate degree path at HCC to meet your career goals.

Need Online Tutoring?

DE Student Handbook

Policies and Procedures Unique to DE Students

Proctored Exams

Taking an exam when if you live outside the HCC service area.

Distance learners outside of the HCC service area follow the same admissions policies/ procedures as all HCC students.

Students living out of the HCC service area during the semester in which they are enrolled at HCC in online classes need to make special arrangements to accommodate their needs.

In the event the course requires onsite exams, it is the student's responsibility to obtain a proctor. The proctor must be someone in the testing center at a local community college or at a university. The proctor will need to provide a secure testing environment and possibly (depending on the course) a computer with Internet access.

A valid picture ID must be presented to the proctor when taking the exam. All fees associated with proctoring are the responsibility of the student. Exams will be sent via fax, email, or US mail directly to the proctor with instructions for administering the exams. This will be done at no cost to the student; however, the student WILL BE responsible for fees associated with returning the exams (including costs of overnight express, etc. to meet deadlines).

The proctor approval form MUST be completed and approved at least 2 weeks prior to the first scheduled exam. For additional questions, you may contact us at: de@hccs.edu

You have the option to take your exam at any of these times and on any of these days during that designated weekend. There is a two hour time limit for each exam. Under no circumstance will any student have unlimited time for testing. Do not bring children to the testing campus.

If you are taking more than one course: We strongly recommend that you take only one test per day. However, if you must take more than one test per day, please note these two (2) things:

You can only pick up one test at a time and you must pick up your last test no later than the last admittance time.

This means that you must be aware of the time and allow yourself an equal amount of time for each exam. You must pick up the second exam by 7:00 pm on Fridays, and by 1:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The testing aides will not remind you to do so or issue exams after these times for anyone, even if you have what you believe to be a perfectly good excuse as to why you are late (flat tire, emergency, etc.).

A picture ID (driver's license or HCCS ID) is required before you will be allowed to test.

PLEASE BRING A #2 PENCIL,

Do not bring books unless otherwise noted by instructor

Phones and pagers must be turned off and put away in the testing location

Do not bring children to testing

Transfer Resources

Visit the HCC Transfer Room

Your place to find out transfer information, including transferable courses, transfer scholarships, university admission requirements and much more.

DE Courses and Mandatory Orientations

Accessing the Mandatory DE Course Orientation / DE Search

If you are taking a Distance Education course(s), you must complete an Online Orientation for each course. The Online Orientation consists of 6 steps. Steps 1 and 2 are the same for every DE section. Steps 3-5 may be different for every DE section.

How to Access the Mandatory DE Course Orientation / DE SearchJust click on the semester and type in your CRN OR search for the course by Department name.

(Note: Access only one Orientation at a time and close each pop-up window after reading its contents.Make sure you disable your browser's pop-up blocker. If your Orientation is not posted by the date listed, just check again the next day. You will be prevented from logging into your course on the day the semester begins).

Virtual Advising

Distance Education Advising is here for you! Our goal in DE Advising is to build a better connection with you.

HCC students, beginning March 1st, you will be able to see and hear DE Advisors from your PC and mobile devices. You can establish this connection through downloading GoToMeeting through your PC or by downloading a GoToMeeting app to your mobile device (iPad, iPhone, or Android).

This service will be provided from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM on Friday's, with the exceptions of holidays. To access this service, you will make an appointment through the AskDECounseling Online form: